The Girls of Summer
by Caleb Cavileer
Summary: This is a crossover involving the characters from A League of Their Own and The Natural.  In spring 1943, professional women's baseball was looking to gain acceptance as many major league baseball stars were serving overseas in World War II.


A League of Their Own

The Girls of Summer

By Caleb Cavileer

Introduction:

This piece combines the characters from The Natural and A League of Their Own. Its setting is preseason 1943 when the Rockford Peaches and other teams of the new professional girls baseball league are seeking acceptance among baseball fans in Chicago. The New York Knights, led by Roy Hobbs, have been atop the baseball standings for the past four years. Despite an increasing number of major league baseball players being sent overseas to fight in World War II, the Knights have still retained many of their aging stars. Other teams in baseball have not been so lucky.

After assembling the first women's league to keep interest in baseball high during the war, candy bar mogul and league owner Walter Harvey approached Knights manager Pop Fisher about putting on an exhibition before the season starts. His Rockford Peaches would play against the New York Knights. All rules would be the same with the exception of same gender celebrity pitchers to promote fair play. Golfer Babe Didrikson would take the mound for the Knights to pitch against the Peaches while the Knights brought Yankees pitcher Lefty Gomez to pitch to them. The stars were aligned for an exciting afternoon of baseball the likes of which the country had never seen.

Play Ball:

Had the original epic battle between David and Goliath sold peanuts and cracker jacks, it still would not have drawn as much attention as the game taking place that day. The Rockford Peaches were unproven on a stage where they were just today invited. Sure they had played baseball all their lives in some capacity, but this was their first true test. The result of today's game would signify to many fans either the beginning of a new legitimate sport or the end of one man's ill conceived business model. If baseball was to survive the war, Harvey believed his plan had to work.

The Knights certainly played the part of Goliath well. Pop Fisher's intense managerial stare from the dugout represented everything most people associate with baseball. For the past 4 years, the New York Knights were baseball. And Roy Hobbs was its star. His mammoth home runs were still clearing fences at an amazing rate. While other stars were serving Uncle Sam overseas, Hobbs could be seen as the lone bright spot in major league baseball. In many ways this game was as much for him as it was for the Peaches.

But there was no disguising the Peaches as David in this contest. Driven by the need to validate their existence on the diamond to the crowd, the owners, and themselves; the Peaches epitomized underdog. Yet without the guidance of a manager, the Peaches knew they were playing with so much at stake. Other teams in the league would have gladly taken a shot at playing the Knights, but they were the ones Walter Harvey had chosen. For the moment, at least, the Peaches felt that the fate of their season and their league was in their hands.

"What do you mean Mr. Harvey already turned in our lineup card? He doesn't even know what position we play!" shouted Doris.

"That's what the ump said," replied Dottie. Leading the team was quickly becoming Dottie's job by default, but in this case Walter Harvey had beat her to it. Apparently he was going to control as many aspects of the game as he could. The girls were still upset about the skirts that looked more like cocktail dresses than uniforms, but they understood the alternative.

"Batter up Peaches!" yelled the ump. To their surprise, the first inning was eventful. A series of sharply hit groundballs found their way through the legs of the Knight infielders. While the outfielders were rolling their eyes wondering if the Peaches' bats would ever reach them, another line drive was misplayed by pitcher Babe Didrikson. The Peaches were up 2-0 after a total of three errors by the Knights.

"I'm sorry I missed that one, Pop" said Knights third baseman John Olson.

Pop stared at Olson for a moment searching for the words. In the end, he simply winked and said, "You play like that against the Phillies and I'll bench ya."

Yankees All-Star Lefty Gomez took the mound against the Knights. The crowd seemed pleased with the selection of same gender pitching celebrities for this exhibition. Nobody wanted to see 90 MPH fastballs striking out the Peaches and they didn't think it would be especially fair to have the Knights hitting 70 MPH fastballs from the Peaches Kit Keller all afternoon. But no other allowances would be made. The crowd would not stand for it. And Harvey knew this was his one chance to make a first impression.

By the fifth inning, spectacular defense by the Peaches and deceptive pitching by Gomez had still held the Knights scoreless. Their only base runner had come when Gomez intentionally walked Roy Hobbs to the disgust of the crowd. Since then Harvey's assistant, Harold Glenn, had gone to speak with Gomez and was now perched next to Pop Fisher in the Knights dugout. As Hobbs stepped up to the plate a second time, Gomez caught Glenn's guise from afar. He knew what he had to do.

"Swing away, Hobbs " Glenn said to Hobbs as he strode to the plate.

For what seemed to be an ovation of 5 minutes, Hobbs sure did end the at-bat quickly. Maybe the crowd could sense that home runs would be scarce in a women's baseball league, because their cheers echoed on for Hobbs even as the first pitch was thrown to the next batter. Despite still leading the game, it was a reception the Peaches had not received from the Chicago crowd yet.

Nor would they. The remainder of the game was played out with even less action than the start. Much of the crowd was impressed with the spectacle as whole, seeing a women's baseball team defeat the world champion New York Knights, but to many the game was missing something.

"This all feels a little underwhelming," said outfielder Mae Mordibito. "Did we just beat the Knights, or what?"

"Not by the looks of them," noticed Kit. She was pointing to the Knights dugout where the players, manager Pop Fisher, and Walter Harvey were laughing and joking about the events of the day. Roy Hobbs was the sole gloomy face of the bunch.

"What's Harvey doing with them?" asked Doris.

"He's just thanking them for playing us today girls. It is a nice gesture seeing that they came all the way from New York for a one-game exhibition," snapped Dottie.

"Well if you ask me, he should have come congratulate us first. WE won the game," blurted Kit.

Later that evening, the girls were at the train station when the Knights were leaving town. Roy Hobbs walked over to Dottie and offered his reluctant congratulations on the win. "I never thought I'd witness anything like what I saw today. It was truly heartbreaking, "said Hobbs.

"Look, just because we showed that we can play your sport just as well as…" Dottie was interrupted.

"That's not what I meant. The Knights didn't play you today. They played everyone, the media, the fans, everyone," explained Hobbs. "We were told two months ago that this game had to be lost. Harvey needed his one big headline to get the league up and running. Beating the Knights was what he paid for. He paid very well for it."

"But how can you live with that?" asked Dottie.

"I had no choice. I couldn't beat you by myself, especially with them not pitching to me," said Hobbs. "Just don't tell anyone I told you. Let the girls think you did what you did today. Starting the season any other way would only hurt your league."

"I don't plan on telling the girls," added Dottie, "but I'm going to see Walter Harvey this minute."

The Knights left for New York on the 8:30 traveling just about as fast as big Dottie Henson was towards Walter Harvey's mansion. She did not know what her intentions were, but her excitement from the afternoon had turned into anger and distrust. She couldn't win that way.

"Mr. Harvey, how could you do it?" pleaded Dottie. "Was anything that happened today real?"

Harvey held up an early edition of tomorrow's newspaper that read, "The Girls of Summer."

"I wonder if you farm girls ever learned to read, my dear," began Harvey. "This is the start of a business. A business that is much bigger than your dreams of glory on the field. Did you really think you could beat a professional baseball team that wasn't also wearing pigtails and skirts?

"Did you really think that I would find out what happened today and not tell anyone?" snapped Dottie.

"What is it that you want?" schemed Harvey."

"Well we're certainly going to need a manager. Someone impressive. I'm talking movie stars or Hall of Fame talent. Show me you're taking this seriously," said Dottie.

"I've got a few people in mind already," said Harvey, " the Peaches will be the only team with a high-profile manager in the dugout. You have my word."

"Oh and those chocolate bars you make," continued Dottie, "take one guess where this farm girl thinks you'll be getting the milk to make them from now on."

"Understood," conceded Harvey.

"Have a great season, Mr. Harvey," ended Dottie, "I know the Peaches will."


End file.
